“Julia, are you trying to keep up with the world at all?” He didn’t let me answer. “The business news outlets blasted your and Skylar’s picture all over their networks. As soon as they did, the perceived value of Wade began to drop. It had steadied with word of your reconciliation.”

What reconciliation?

Before I could ask, Dad went on, “Then this large accumulation of stock by an unknown buyer combined with the loan issues is making the other stockholders nervous. We’re back to bleeding capital and we can’t hide that. The fifteen percent of stock that’s currently held by single and conglomerate investors is vulnerable. If the bastard who rounded up twenty-one percent found a way to get that fifteen...”

He’s not a bastard. I didn’t lead with that. “If he or they did, they still wouldn’t have the majority, Dad. That would only be thirty-six percent.”

“Marlin is worried and so am I.”

I took a deep breath. “Dad, don’t trust Marlin. He was trying to get that twenty-one percent. He had a line set for sales on the thirtieth of this month. That would have taken him to forty-six percent—seven percent more than us. We would have had no choice but to go along with him on whatever deal he wanted us to take, including selling to Big Pharma. Seeing as Skylar would have voting rights to my shares after marriage, the plan was to screw us.”

“How do you know this?”

“I just do, Dad.” I said, retaking my seat in the comfortable chair. “Skylar didn’t love me. And to be honest, I didn’t love him either, not in the way you should love your husband. Our marriage was a business deal, one that had been established since we were babies in the same crib. I don’t think even Skylar knew the extent to his father’s conniving. Hell, he was too busy impregnating Beth.”

“What did you say?” my father asked.

“I called off the wedding because I learned that my friend Beth is pregnant with Skylar’s child.”

“Your mother said you had cold feet.”

That was what Skylar said she said.

I looked down at my feet, clad in warm socks. “My feet aren’t cold, Dad. I’m not going to be Skylar’s dutiful wife while he’s screwing other people, and I won’t be Marlin’s pawn.”

Dad’s voice softened. “Little girl, I didn’t know.”

“Mom probably figured you had enough to worry about. She’s asked me to come back and work everything out with Skylar.”

“He doesn’t deserve your effort, sweetheart. I’d give him a good piece of my mind if he hadn’t left town.”

“Isn’t he back?” I asked.

“Back?”

“He came here yesterday,” I said. “I spoke to him briefly and told him to leave.”